If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I think formations are giving away our intentions too much. Lining up 3 TE's next to each other on the end of the line then attempting to run behind them over and over (had to be a half dozen times at least) is moronically stupid. Leonard Pope and David Paulson scare no one. The speed of our wideouts scare everyone. Why keep our WR's on the bench in favor of multiple TE packages? I think the reason that Ben is so good on 3rd down is because that is the only time that he has Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Heath, and a single RB at his disposal. If we used that formation more on 1st and 2nd down as well, we could pass and run out of it as well. The oppositon is forced to play nickel against our 3-wide set, and the safeties have to play deep in order to respect our deep speed. That means that there are only 6 men in the box for our 5 OL and Heath to block if we want to run. That is much better than bringing in more crappy TE's on the line so that the defense has 9 men stacked in the box against us (shocking that we can't run for 3 yards a carry when we have a steady dose of this as our routine run formation).

I can only figure that it was something that Haley saw on tape...Buffalo ran for 195 yards on the Jest last week...they shored up their run D by run blitzing quite a bit...

Last week, against the Yonkos, the Steelers were in 3 WR formations for most of the game...

Still way too much penetration of the interior of the OL. Everyone got beat yesterday. We know Foster isn't the answer, but is Pouncey more hype than performance? Is Colon still learning?

For a new thought, is Kugler the problem? We all, me included, praised Kugler a couple of years ago but the OL is still marginal and we absorb an extremely high number of injuries. Thoughts?

I agree with everything you said. The penetration the Jets got on running plays was unbelieveable.

Pouncey did not look as good last year as he did as a rookie. This year so far he looks worse. I've seen him walked into the backfield on numerous plays. I thought Colon and Pouncey would give us some nice push on the left side for us to get some of those tough 1 and 2 yards pickups that we need occasionally. That hasn't been the case. Maybe Kugler isn't what we thought after that first year when it appeared he was turning the offensive line around.

What would you guys see our "3rd and goal from the 3" package being, after the obligate 6 (5 linemen + Ben)?

Wallace, Brown, Sanders
Heath
1 of Mendy/Red/Dwyer?

No room for a FB/lead blocker?

Goal-line packages are different...but that type of specialty offensive formation should be reserved almost exclusively for goal line or short yardage situations, not on 1st and 10 from your own 20, or 2nd and 7 from their 45.

Remember, if we take out a FB for an extra WR, then the defense must respond by bringing in an extra DB and removing someone from their front 7. So the big guy in the box that the FB would likely be blocking is no longer there anymore(it's now a skinny guy opposite Manny Sanders instead).

The Steelers have a long history of running backs producing 100-yard games, but so far in two games this season they haven’t averaged 100 yards rushing per game as a team, with only 54 rushes for 141 yards for a 2.6-yard average per carry.

“We haven’t run the ball as well as we have liked,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “I’m not interested in assigning blame in that regard. I will take responsibility for it.

“The reality is we’ve got room for growth. We need to tighten up our menu and lean on the things we are doing well. We need to block better and put the ball where it needs to be on a more consistent basis.”

The Steelers have been without running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first two weeks, although Tomlin did say he would get more work in practice this week but his status for Sunday’s game on the road against the Oakland Raiders has not been determined. Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redmanhave shared the workload for the running game, with Dwyer averaging 3.4 yards per carry and Redman two yards per carry through two games.

“We all have a hand in where our running game is right now,” said Tomlin. “I hope that we all have a hand in correcting it in the near future. I know it needs to be an asset for us moving forward, particularly as we move into a hostile environment like the one we are going into this weekend.”

The Steelers were able to move the ball on the ground in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at Heinz Field this past week, with eight rushing plays for 31 yards during a drive that was a little over 10 minutes and ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Redman.

Tomlin was pleased with the performance of the ground game on the drive, but not fully satisfied.

“I’m looking for more than that,” said Tomlin. “We were able to run the ball and possess the ball. I think we ran it six or seven times for right around 30 yards. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m actually looking for better than that.”

The Steelers passing game has accounted for 520 yards through two games, with Ben Roethlisberger completing 46 of 71 pass attempts.

The key now is to get the offense balanced, something Tomlin is confident will come in time.

“I think in the long term we seek balance,” said Tomlin. “It’s dangerous to look for those types of things at this juncture because we’re only two weeks, or eight quarters of football, into it. Over the long haul, absolutely we intend to strike a balance offensively and possess the ball and score. It’s just probably a little early for us, at this point, to paint with a broad brush.”